2015 D3 Season: NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

[lastguyoffthebench]

If you reach a certain negative number, are you given a timeout and asked to sit in the corner?  Or even worse, banned from posting?

I rarely follow my +/-, but when it was mentioned last week I noticed I received one negative hit.  Let me just tell you, I really didn't sleep well that night...  Cried in my pillow the entire time while tossing and turning.

If you give negative karma, sack up and be a man; tell the person or start a debate instead. 

[Flying Weasel]

I have been saying for years this whole Karma thing is ridiculous and since this D3 site will not get rid of it the best thing to do is this...

...just pay no attention to karma. You don't know who gave it and for which post, so for the life of me I can't figure out why anyone cares and spends anytime concerned about it (who gave it? why?).  The only time I ever think about karma is when someone else complains or wonders about why their negative karma went up, and I have no idea if I've gotten more karma because I have no idea what I had before.

Whoever gave you guys negative karma is probably enjoying this string of posts; I'd suggest a new tact going forward: completely ignore karma.  If you like what someone posted enough to want them to know you liked it, simply say so in the post.  If you disagree with someone or didn't like something some one posted, say so respectfully in a post, preferrable with your reasons.

[Mr.Right]

Well I usually pay no attention to it until it has been brought up. Your answer is the same useless dribble we hear everytime someone complains about it.

IF YOU IGNORE IT THAN HERE'S AN IDEA....GET RID OF THE WHOLE SYSTEM.  I have given the same answer in the past as you just have..oh ignore it, oh ignore it.....Well frankly I am sick and tired of having to think about ignoring it. If everyone is ignoring it then GET RID OF IT. My point was since D3Boards will not get rid of it at least FIX IT with my plan which you  haphazardly IGNORED.

[Flying Weasel]

Call it useless dribble, but it works for me.  And somehow I manage to ignore it without even thinking about ignoring it.

Question: Have you ever contacted Pat Coleman (the message board's administrator) about it to suggest a change or its removal?  (Although, I don't see an obvious way to contact him besides searching for his profile or finding one of his posts and PM'ing him)  I don't know why he opted to activate this feature and I have no idea how other posters in the other sprots forums feel about it. I don't use it or care about it, but it also doesn't bother/annoy me that it's there.  So it truly makes no difference to me, but if it bothers some of you, at least take the time to make a suggestion to Pat.

By the way Mr. Right, how does one "haphazardly" ignore something? Regardless, I didn't ignore your plan to "fix" it, I just had nothing to add as I would agree that any system like this should allow you to see who gave the karma and for which post.  Since I would probably still not be all that interested in using it or paying attention to it, I didn't feel the need to comment on your fix. But hopefully it makes you feel better that I have now acknowledged your plan to fix it, and better still, I agree.  Too bad I don't do the karma thing, you may have had +karma coming your way!!!

[PaulNewman]

I agree with Mr.Right.  If the "karma" system is deemed to be of no value, and the recommendation is simply to ignore it, then why does it continue to exist?  Why introduce and/or maintain a feature on the site that we're told to simply not notice, and that we're considered petty for raising questions about?  FW, I'm pretty sure that if you went from +27/-5 to +27/-35 over the next month you would notice and at least wonder what was going on and who might be having a problem with you and for what.  As for the recommendations, I would suggest that the we underscore FW's last sentence in his post -- just tell someone you like his or her post and likewise simply state when you disagree and why.

I write the above while fully aware that I was a primary offender around this time last year, with the difference being that something happened that took on a life of its own and the posters involved were pretty obvious.  It seems the vulnerability for this sort of thing is greatest at the end of the season when emotions about our teams, how things ended, and how our favored players are being treated in "awards season" run high. 

BF, I thought I was pretty clear that my initial gut instinct was probably wrong precisely because I had seen no animus between the Tufts supporters and Mr.Right.  You've mentioned several times now that you have showed restraint when you apparently believe you would have been entitled/justified in dinging me.  I'm sure you realize that cuts both ways.  The majority of your posts annoy the heck out of me and yet for this whole season I have restrained myself in the karma department.

[Mr.Right]

Call it useless dribble, but it works for me.  And somehow I manage to ignore it without even thinking about ignoring it.

Question: Have you ever contacted Pat Coleman (the message board's administrator) about it to suggest a change or its removal?  (Although, I don't see an obvious way to contact him besides searching for his profile or finding one of his posts and PM'ing him)  I don't know why he opted to activate this feature and I have no idea how other posters in the other sprots forums feel about it. I don't use it or care about it, but it also doesn't bother/annoy me that it's there.  So it truly makes no difference to me, but if it bothers some of you, at least take the time to make a suggestion to Pat.

By the way Mr. Right, how does one "haphazardly" ignore something? Regardless, I didn't ignore your plan to "fix" it, I just had nothing to add as I would agree that any system like this should allow you to see who gave the karma and for which post.  Since I would probably still not be all that interested in using it or paying attention to it, I didn't feel the need to comment on your fix. But hopefully it makes you feel better that I have now acknowledged your plan to fix it, and better still, I agree.  Too bad I don't do the karma thing, you may have had +karma coming your way!!!

You haphazardly read my post ignoring my point. Yea I'll mention it to Pat in my monthly spanking from him. The best way to contact him is to mis-behave

[Shooter McGavin]

Just gave everyone +1 Karma. Hope this makes your day a little brighter!

[Mid-Atlantic Fan]

Will there be a final poll from D3Soccer?

There usually is. Surprised it's not out yet but it should be out by tomorrow I would imagine. Or so I hope!

[Mid-Atlantic Fan]

From what I read previously posted about the Karma I don't think you should let it bother you. If it does well then that sucks but it means nothing realistically. If people ignore it then so be it but proposing to get rid of it is also silly. I doubt Pat or any other administrators expected people to get this upset about fake points...just my thoughts. Would be nice to know who gave you +/- karma though. Maybe something they can work on down the road.

[Flying Weasel]

NCAC New England, I honestly never look at the karma (until someone like you starts talking about it again), so mine could rise to -35 and I might not notice for weeks.  For example, the other day you posted that my -karma went up.  I couldn't confirm or deny that because I had no idea what it was previously.

(At the risk of ignoring something else Mr. Right has to say on the matter) my last word on the matter is . . .
Who besides other fellow posters has recommended ignoring the karma feature?* Has anyone administering the message board communicated that? Asking me (or any other poster who recommends ignoring it) why it still exists doesn't direct the question to someone who can answer that question or do something about it.  I have yet to see someone who controls the existence and configurations of the karma feature saying to ignore the feature and insinuating pettiness for questioning it.  Personally, as a fellow poster, I wouldn't call you "petty" for question the karma (some of the anonymous giving of negative karma might fit that description), but what I will say is that both (a) the giving out of negative karma without being man enough to own up to it and discuss why, and (b) the getting bothered by receiving that anonymous negative karma) just seems silly to me.  But that's just me. To each his own.

* - And I'm not saying ignore it, I'm saying ignore it IF it is botheriing you.

[jknezek]

I find Karma entertaining. I just don't get upset about it. It's really not a big deal but it does provide a small amount of feedback. Do some people abuse it? Sure. I know if I post something in some of the football boards I tend to get tagged. That's just how those boards are.

I do, generally, find relative karma levels to be indicative of a person's abrasiveness. That in itself is useful if you feel like engaging them in a conversation. For example I usually find someone with a negative karma imbalance just isn't worth getting involved with. That doesn't mean their posts don't have value, it just means disagreeing with them usually results in irritation instead of discourse.

I also find two kinds of people with negative karma on the boards. Those who complain incessantly about it feeling persecuted even though they generally irritate people with abrasive posts, and those who enjoy collecting negative karma by purposely posting abrasive posts. Either way, there is generally a reason they end up with a large imbalance. A sniper or two won't matter. To get an imbalance you generally have to be an irritating person to engage with.

[Christan Shirk]

All:

Without naming names and getting into details, reasons, excuses, forgetfulness, etc. that may or may not be self-incriminating, there will be a final D3soccer.com Top 25 poll.  It will be late.  Hopefully Friday.

[Mid-Atlantic Fan]

All:

Without naming names and getting into details, reasons, excuses, forgetfulness, etc. that may or may not be self-incriminating, there will be a final D3soccer.com Top 25 poll.  It will be late.  Hopefully Friday.

No need to apologize! We appreciate all your time and effort you put into the website all season! Looking forward to the poll.

[KICKIN95]

Jeez, I just noticed I have 8 more negatives than I did 2 weeks ago, huh.  I think it's kind of entertaining to see people get so bent out of shape about it.  Do you all really care that much, I mean we don't even use our real names, we have avatars and yet the fur on your neck is still getting raised. I don;t recall anyone having difficulty telling me how they felt about a post, so if anonymously clicking a "applause" or "smite" make you fell omnipotent than by all means click away.

[Ron Boerger]

Stuff happens.   Back in the day I tended to get most of my -k from people supporting my alma mater who were mad I wasn't drinking the koolaid and admitting there was a chance my team might lose a game every now and then (more on other subboards like football than here).